Agriculture and Rural Land Use Agriculture Is the

Agriculture and Rural Land Use

Agriculture • Is the raising of animals or the growing of crops to obtain food for primary consumption by the farm family or for sale off the farm.

The Three Agricultural Revolutions • First: allowed humans to become more sedentary and avail themselves of a more reliable source of food • Second: Used the technology provided by the industrial revolution as a means to increase production and distribution. • Third: involves altering the genetic material of plants and animals

First Agricultural Revolution • From hunting and gathering society to planting of seeds and domestication of animals. • Following of herds in a migratory pattern lead to the discovery of seeds discarded the year before eventually would sprout re-growth. This took hundreds, thousands of years after observation to harness in a way that was viable and sustainable. • Very laborious and on a small scale. • Herds would return in migratory patterns but people became sedentary. • As food sources became reliable population grew. • Animal domestication changed the worlds diet as wild animals were tamed.

First Agricultural Revolution From to

Second Agricultural Revolution • From 1750 to 1900 in more developed world. • Technology allowed for the increase in production and distribution of products. • Fields could be double or triple in size with same amount of labor. • Populations increased on local and global scales • Less developed countries are still in this era. • Examples include technological inventions of the cotton gin, forerunner, combine. • Transportation for distribution became more reliable, food less likely to spoil • Pushed population into stage 3. • People left farm for urban areas.

Second Agricultural Revolution From To

Third Agricultural Revolution • 1960 s+ • Sometimes referred to as the Green Revolution. Uses biotechnology, genetic engineering. • Takes place in labs and tested on farm fields. • Plant and animal hybrids that maximize growth and production. • Increased use of fertilizers and chemicals. • Industrial farming. • Climate is no longer barrier to plant production. • Rice is greatest example of genetic engineering as it feeds the most people in Asia. • Double-cropping, two crops per year and Triple-cropping, three crops per year is now possible in the poorest areas of Asia.

Third Cont. • Created a global agricultural market. • Wheat grown in North Dakota is shipped to Asia. • Corporate farms are where MDC’s get their food. • Enough food is produced to feed the world but there are barriers in distribution.

Third Agricultural Revolution From To

Origin of Agriculture: Vegetative Planting • Southeast Asia – Diverse climate and topography – Fishing communities lend themselves to a more sedentary lifestyle allowing for experimentation in vegetative planting – Root plants were predicted to be the first type of domesticated planting. i. e taro and yam and tree crops i. e banana and palm – Livestock such as dog, chicken, pig, (llama, sheep) – Moved east and north. – Other hearths include Central America/NW South America and West Africa

Origin of Agriculture: Seed Agriculture • Reproduction of plants through annual planting of seeds • Three hearths: western India, northern China and Ethiopia • Wheat and Barley were the dominate seed. • Often seed agriculture would include the integration of livestock

Plant and Livestock Regional Classification • Central Asia: – Plants: Rice, Millet – Livestock: sheep and goat • East Asia: – Plants: Taro, bananas, and palm – Livestock: dogs, pigs, and chicken

Plant and Livestock Regional Classification • Mexico – Plants: squash and maize – Livestock: llama, alpaca, and turkey • Peru – Plants: squash, beans and cotton – Livestock: llama, alpaca, and turkey • Central Africa – Plants: millet, sorghum, palm oil, yam, and coffee – Livestock: cattle, sheep and goat

Subsistence and Commercial Agriculture • Subsistence: – Found in developing countries – Purpose: consumption by and for farmers family. • Commercial: – Found in developed countries – Purpose: Profit

Climate and Topography • Climate and topography are the most important factors in food diversity around the world.

Whittlesey’s Agricultural Regions

Sub. V. Com. • Differences between Subsistence and Commercial Agriculture – Purpose – Percentage of farmers in labor force – Use of machinery – Farm size – Agribusiness

Purpose of Farming • LDC- personal consumption, some extra is sold to the government but goal is to eat. • MDC- grow for profit. Produce is sold off the farm. Sold to companies not persons.

% of Farmers • LDC- 55% • MDC-5% • When a country develops the percentage of farmers decreases.

Use of Machinery • LDC- hand tools and animal power. • MDC- Highly scientific. Fertilizer, herbicide, GPS used to monitor cattle.

Farm Size • LDC- 1 Hectare of 2. 5 acres, 1 acre is about 1. 5 city blocks.

Farm Size Continued • MDC- 175 Hectares (435 Acres) • 4% of commercial farms account for 50% of products. • ½ of farmers in MDC make less than $10, 000 a year in sales. • Machinery is very expensive. • Fewer farmers but more land • Losing prime agricultural land to expanding urban areas.

Business within a Business • Agribusiness—all the businesses and products that stem from farming. • Seed. • Tractors. • Distribution. • Retail • Sub: Political organizations- Free Trade